Democratic New York Rep. Brian Higgins has announced that he is stepping down from his post in February after 19 years of serving in Congress.
Higgins, who represents New York’s heavily Democratic 26th Congressional District, cited growing frustrations in the chamber.
After 19 years serving the WNY community in the US House of Representatives, I have made the decision to step down from Congress in February of 2024. It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent my hometown & I look forward to spending more time in the community I love. pic.twitter.com/sMSe9wvS47
— Brian Higgins (@RepBrianHiggins) November 12, 2023
“I’ve always been a little impatient, and that trait has helped us deliver remarkable progress for this community,” he said in a statement. “But the pace in Washington, D.C. can be slow and frustrating, especially this year.”
“Therefore, after thoughtful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to leave Congress and explore other ways I can build up and serve Buffalo and Western New York,” he continued.
The 64-year-old Higgins took office in January 2023 for his tenth term. He is a member of the House Budget and Ways and Means Committees, co-chairs the Northern Border Caucus and the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, and serves as the Bipartisan Cancer Caucus co-chair.
He follows several other members of the House who have recently announced their resignations in the last few weeks.
“It was nineteen years ago this month that I was first elected to serve in Congress and doing this work has truly been the honor of a lifetime,” Higgins said during a news conference at the Buffalo History Museum.
“I’ve never lingered on Capitol Hill, I go there on a mission to change my community and return home on the first flight each week because being in Western New York, talking to people here, provides an urgent reminder of what I was sent to Washington to do.”
“It’s just a time for change, and I think this is the time … I want to come back to the city and serve this city that I have represented in Washington for the past 19 years,” he continued. “Congress is not the institution that I went to 19 years ago. It’s a very different place today,” he said, the AP reported. “We’re spending more time doing less. And the American people aren’t being served.”
Local outlets have speculated that Higgings would accept a teaching position with the prestigious Buffalo’s Shea’s Performing Arts Center, but his office has not confirmed the reporting.
